Durbin, Blagojevich discuss Obama's Senate replacement

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin spoke to Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Monday about who the governor might name to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

Bernard Schoenburg

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin spoke to Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Monday about who the governor might name to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

“He called me, and I called him back,” Durbin told reporters during a visit to the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where he discussed school costs with students. “We talked for 15 minutes or so.”

Durbin said he made two main points: The governor should name someone not seen as a caretaker and who plans to run for a full term in two years; and the appointment should come before other members are sworn in for new Senate terms Jan. 6.

Naming a person who will run in 2010, the Springfield Democrat said, is something he feels would be “in the best interest of keeping this seat” in Democratic hands.

“That way, they can learn the Senate, develop a reputation in the Senate, come to know the state as a sitting senator, and raise money — be ready for the race,” Durbin said.

A decision before Jan. 6, he said, “gives the person appointed a seniority edge before about 10 other senators, which is nothing to be sneezed at in my world.”

“We went through a long list of names — 10, 15, 20 different names,” Durbin said, “some of which I mentioned, some of which he mentioned.” He said they discussed “strengths and weaknesses of each one.”

When she was a congressional candidate in the past, Durbin hosted a Springfield fundraiser for Tammy Duckworth, who is now director of the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Her name did come up in the conversation, Durbin said.

“People have asked me whether I think she’s qualified to be a United States senator, and the answer is ‘yes,’” Durbin said. “I think she’d be a good strong candidate and a good senator. But there are many others who would be as well. I mentioned her name because I was asked directly, but I did not say that any one person was my top choice. We went through different options that the governor could consider, and some of them would be terrific stories.”

Duckworth lost both legs in a helicopter crash while serving in Iraq. She ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2006.

Durbin said, in response to a question, that he and Blagojevich did discuss the idea that there is pressure to name a black person because Obama’s departure has left the 100-member Senate with no person from that group.

“I think he definitely ought to consider that, and I told him so,” Durbin said. “We went through five or six different names of African-Americans who could be considered — some very obvious, and some you might not think of. And I also went beyond that to other people I think are well qualified.

“He said at the outset, and he’s right, it’s a hard choice,” Durbin said, “and he’s going to make some people unhappy with his final choice. But I hope that he understands as I do that the votes in the Senate are critically important for Barack Obama’s success.”

Asked if Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr., a 73-year-old black lawmaker who didn’t seek re-election to the legislature and who has been close to Blagojevich, would be considered a caretaker, Durbin responded that he is “not going to say I’m for or against any one person. All I’ll tell you is that I think it should be a person who’s prepared to run” in 2010.

Lucio Guerrero, spokesman for Blagojevich, confirmed via e-mail that Blagojevich and Durbin spoke, but said he couldn’t go into details.

“The governor realizes the importance of the date (Jan. 6), and has said he hopes to get a pick decided by the new year,” Guerrero said. “However, he also realizes that he has to be deliberate and careful on the pick. He can’t let the calendar dictate the pick.

“As for race, the governor has also said that race would be a factor. He understands the significance of having a person of color in the spot. However, he also said — (as has) Sen. Durbin in the past — that race should not be the only factor. The governor wants to make sure that Illinois gets the best senator possible to replace President-elect Obama.”

Bernard Schoenburg can be reached at (217) 788-1540 or bernard.schoenburg@sj-r.com.